Unfair to Lamma expats
PERHAPS Mr Cheuk-Wah Sit Charles should look more carefully before categorising the Westerners living on Lamma Island as mostly illegally employed artists, waiters and hawkers (''What about Lamma illegals?'', South China Morning Post, May 18).
I am a (legal) resident of Lamma and I have observed only two expatriates so employed out of a population of thousands.
Anyone who takes the ferry to Hongkong can see that most of the Westerners (at least those not carrying children) appear to be dressed for office jobs, positions that are not easily taken up by illegals.
Having overheard various snippets of conversation I have formed the distinct impression that the majority are from the UK which means that they are entitled to live and work legally in Hongkong under very liberal restrictions.
There is a relatively small group of easy-going types who hang about the ferry's lower deck smoking cigarettes and drinking beer.
My guess is that they are more interested in a pleasant stay, which Lamma easily affords, than in finding miserable low-paying jobs. I can't say what the artists are up to but, being a rare species in Hongkong, maybe we should encourage them to stay a little longer.
I suggest that the Immigration Department's scarce resources are better spent stemming the flow of hand grenades and AK-47 assault rifles.
JOSEPH A. LEGRIS Lamma
